25 years ago, thousands of right wing Hindu Kar Sevaks descended on the 15th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya and tore it down within hours. Thousands of people were killed in the riots that followed the demolition. But, was the demolition spontaneous or a culmination of well planned conspiracy?

Praveen Jain, a photographer with The Pioneer in 1992, was in Ayodhya two days before the December 6th demolition. On December 5, he was able to be a part of a demolition rehearsal carried out by the members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, just half a kilometre away from Babri Masjid.

What Jain witnessed and clicked on his camera that day has become an inseparable part of a number of investigations and commissions. His pictures of the demolition’s rehearsal are part of crucial evidence in the Babri Masjid demolition case.